"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to
those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to
the image of His Son!" Romans 8:28-29

The sovereignty of God is a comfort for
suffering saints, acting to remove anxiety. How sweet must
the following considerations be to a distressed believer!

9. He who brought the affliction to me — has promised to
support me under it and to carry me through it (Psalm
34:15-17).

10. All shall, most assuredly, work together for His glory and my
good.

11. Therefore, "Shall I not drink from the cup
of suffering the Father has given me?" (John 18:11).

However keenly afflictions might wound us on their first access — yet,
under the impression of such animating views, we should quickly come to
ourselves again, and the arrows of affliction, would, in great
measure lose their sharpness.

Christians need nothing but absolute resignation to God's wise
and gracious Providence, to render them perfectly happy in every
possible circumstance. And absolute resignation can only flow from an
absolute belief of, and an absolute acquiescence in, God's absolute
Providence, founded on His absolute predestination (1 Thessalonians
1:2-4).

"They will
look on Me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn
for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for
Him as one grieves for a firstborn son!" Zechariah 12:10
View Him yonder, sinner, sweating in the garden. See
the ruby drops of blood as they fall from that dear visage!

Oh, see Him sinner, see Him in Pilate's hall. View the streams of
gore as they gush from those lacerated shoulders!

See Him, sinner — see Him on His cross!

View that holy head still marked with the wounds with which the
thorns pierced His sacred temples!

Oh, view that pure face,emaciated and marred!

See the vile spittle still hanging there — the spittle of cruel
mockers!

View those loving eyes floating in tears with languid pity!

Look, too, at those kind hands, and view them as they stream like
fountains of blood!

"A bleeding Savior I have viewed — and now I hate my sins!" John
Newton

"The dearest idol I have known,
Whatever that idol be,
Help me to tear it from its throne,
And worship only Thee!"

~ ~ ~ ~

Who am I that God should be so mindful
of me?

(Frank Hall)

"What is man that You are mindful of him?" Psalm 8:4

What is man that God should even look in his direction? Who am
I that the infinite, glorious, triune God should glance my way —
much less be mindful of me?

Beloved in Christ, understand
that your God is without a doubt ever-mindful of you. He has . . .
numbered every hair on your precious head,
appointed the bounds of your habitation, and
determined the very second of your death.

He . . .
bottles your every tear,
knows your every sorrow,
records your every work, and
remembers every cup of cold water given in His name. He is deeply
concerned for your immortal soul, has purposed to do you good, and has
staked His glory on your everlasting salvation. Your God is more mindful
of you, your soul, your life, and your welfare than you will ever
understand in this life.

In the light of such staggering knowledge — who God is, and what
you are — do you not ask yourself in utter astonishment, "Who
am I that God should be so mindful of me?"

As mere creatures such a thought is beyond profound — but as
guilty sinners the thought surpasses the unthinkable!

"Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated!" Romans 9:13

God loved Jacob, and hated Esau. Who am I that I should be
identified with the former, and not the latter? Christ died for His
elect and put away their sins forever by the sacrifice of Himself — and
the rest of humanity He leaves to themselves.

Who am I that my name should be written in the Lamb's Book of Life from
the foundation of the world? The Sovereign dispenser of all grace and
all blessedness — has mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will
He hardens. Who am I that I should be a vessel of honor prepared
for glory — and not a vessel of wrath fitted for destruction?

Who are we, brothers and sisters, that we should . . .
partake of the boundless provision of grace in Christ,
be redeemed, justified, and forgiven,
should live forever with Him in glory?

Who are we that the incomprehensibly glorious God would be so mindful of
us, that He not only took on our nature, but . . .lived a perfect life for us, that we could never live, died a sin-atoning death for us, that we could never die, and
satisfied a Law for us, that we could never satisfy?

"By the grace of God I am what I am!" 1 Corinthians 15:10

The only difference between a saved sinner and a lost
sinner — is the difference that God makes by His distinguishing grace!
It is not our decisions, lives, prayers, or works that make the
difference, but God and God alone.

Though all who read these lines deserve to be in Hell for their
sin — God has been pleased to save some freely by His grace.
Though all are equally sinful, equally guilty, and equally deserving of
everlasting torment — God has been pleased to save some for no other
reason than His own glory.

"For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to
the image of His Son!" Romans 8:29

"That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the
fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death."
Philippians 3:10

As Jesus was in this world — even so must we be. We must have fellowship
with Him in His sufferings — that we may be conformed unto His
death.

None can be like the Man of Sorrow — unless they have sorrows
too! How can you be like unto Him who sweat as it were great drops of
blood — if you do not sometimes cry, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful,
even unto death!"

Do not think, O beloved, that you can be like the thorn-crowned head —
and yet never feel the thorn!

Can you be like your dying Lord — and yet be uncrucified?

Must your hand be without a nail, and your foot without a wound? You
cannot be like Him, unless like Him you are compelled to say, "My God,
my God, why have You forsaken me?"

God is chiseling you — and you are but a rough block. He is
making you into the image of Christ — and that sharp chisel is taking
away much which prevents your being like Him.

Must He who is our head, be marred in His visage by reason of grief —
and must we forever rejoice and sing? It cannot be! "We must through
many tribulations enter the kingdom of God." Acts 14:22

Sweet is the affliction which gives us fellowship with Christ.

Blessed is the plough that ploughs deep furrows — if the furrows
are like His.

Blessed is the mouth that spits upon us
— if the spittle is from the same cause as that which defiled His holy
face.

Blessed are the nails and thorns, and vinegar and
spear — if they but make us somewhat like Him, in whose glory we
shall be partakers when we shall see Him as He is.

This is a matter which all cannot understand, for it is a path which no
unhallowed foot has trodden, and no careless eye has so much as seen it.
But the true believer can rejoice therein, for he has had fellowship
with Christ in his sufferings.

"To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you,
leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps!"
1 Peter 2:21

~ ~ ~ ~

Glorify God in the fire!

(George Whitefield, "Glorify God in the Fire!")

"Every
branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit!"
John 15:2

"I have
refined you in the furnace of suffering!"Isaiah 48:10

Fire not only burns and
purges, but it separates one thing from another.

God Almighty knows that we are often purged more in one hour by a good
sound trial — than by a thousand manifestations of His love. It is a
fine thing to come purified, to come pardoned out of the furnace of
affliction. The furnace is intended to purge us to
separate the precious from the vile, the chaff from the wheat. And
God, in order to do this, is pleased to put us into one fire
after another.

There are some roads which are finely paved and smooth — but the
King's road to Heaven is strewed with crosses and afflictions!

My brethren, we need to be purged! How apt are we to want to go
to Heaven upon a featherbed. But many go lying upon beds of pain and
languishing, which is the King's highway there.

God will not put us into the fire — if there was not something to be
purged away. The grand thing, is to learn to glorify God in the fire.

We glorify God in the fire, when we quietly endure it as a chastisement,
and when we bear it patiently. It is a dreadful thing when we are saying
with Cain, "My punishment is greater than I can bear!" But the
language of a soul that glorifies God in the fire is this, "Shall I,
Lord, shall I a sinful man, complain for the punishment of my sins?"

We glorify God in the fire, when, though we feel pain and anguish, we at
the same time say, "Lord, we deserve this and ten thousands times
more!"

We glorify God in the fire also, when we are really and fully persuaded
that God will put us in the furnace only for our good, and His own
glory.

We glorify God in the fire when we say, "Lord don't let the fire go out
until it has purged away all my dross!"

We glorify God in the fire when the soul can say, "Here I am, my God, do
with me as seems good in Your sight! I know that I shall not have one
unnecessary stroke!"

We glorify God in the fire when we are not grumbling, but humbly
submitting to His will. When that awful message was brought to Eli,
what does he say? "It is the LORD;
let Him do what seems good to Him." Let my
children be killed, whatever is done, it is the Lord's doing!

We glorify God in the fire when we rejoice in Him — when we can thank
God for striking us — when we can thank Him for whipping
us!

Happy are you who have got into Christ's fire!

~ ~ ~ ~

The beard!

(Martin Luther)

"I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful
nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it
out!" Romans 7:18

Sin in us, is like the beard. We are
shaved today and look clean, and have a smooth chin. Tomorrow our
beard has grown again — nor does it cease growing while we remain on
earth. In like manner sin cannot be extirpated from us; it springs up in
us as long as we live!

"Oh what a wretched man I am! Who will free me from this life
that is dominated by sin and death!" Romans 7:24

Our idea of the nature of earnest individual piety must be taken, not
from the conventional customs of the age — but from the Word of
God. Once give up the Bible as the only true standard of personal
piety, and there is no rule left but custom, which is ever
varying with the opinions and corruptions of the times.

Yet how prevalent is the disposition to conform ourselves to the
prevailing religion of the day and of the church to which we belong,
and to satisfy ourselves with the average measure of piety around
us! "I am as good as my fellow members!" is the shield with which
many a professor wards off the allegation of his living below his
Scriptural duty.

This has been the fatal practical error of the church through
every age of its existence, by which . . .
its beauty has been disfigured,
its power weakened, and
its usefulness impeded!

Professing Christians, instead of looking into the perfect standard
of Scripture, and seeing themselves reflected from that faithful
mirror, and adjusting their character and conduct by its infallible
revelations — placed before themselves the standard of the Christian
profession as it was found in the church of the day, and regulated their
behavior by what they saw in the prevailing character of their fellow
Christians!

Thus a constant multiplication of corrupted
copies has ever been going on! And religion, as seen in the
conduct of its professors, compared with that which is described in the
pages of its own inspired rule — have been quite different things!

Let us turn away from the
religion we see in the church — to the religion we read in
the Bible! Let us not go to the imperfect and blurred copy
— but to the perfect and unspotted original! The Bible's
representation of the nature of true piety is intended for us as our
guide, and is obligatory upon us!

This is still the stern, unbending demand of Christ: "If
any of you wants to be My follower, he must deny himself, and take
up his cross daily and follow Me!"

~ ~ ~ ~

An ice-house, instead of a hot-house!

(J. A. James, "Earnestness
in Personal Piety" 1847)
It appears quite clear that great numbers of Christian professors
are very imperfectly acquainted with the requirements of "pure and
undefiled religion," and need to be led to re-study it in the
pages of Holy Scripture. We have lost sight of the 'Divine
Original', and have confined our attention to the 'imperfect
transcripts' which we find on every hand in our churches. We have by
tacit consent reduced the standard, and fixed our eye and our
aim upon an inferior object. We are a law to each other —
instead of making the Word of God the law to us all.

We toleratea worldly-minded, diluted, and weakened piety
in others — because we expect a similar toleration for
ourselves. We make excuses for them — because we expect the
like excuses for our own conduct in return. We have abused,
shamefully abused, the fact that 'there is no perfection upon
earth,' and converted it into a license for any measure and any
number of imperfections!

Our highest notion of religion requires only . . .
abstinence from open immorality and
the more polluting worldly amusements,
an attendance upon an evangelical ministry,
and an approval of orthodox doctrine.
This, this, is the religion of multitudes!There may be . . .
no habitual spirituality,
no heavenly-mindedness,
no life of faith,
no communion with God,
no struggling against sin, Satan, and the world,
no concern to grow in grace,
no supreme regard to eternity,
no studied and advancing fitness for the eternal world,
no tenderness of conscience,
no careful discipline of our disposition,
no cultivation of love,
no making piety our chief business and highest pleasure,
no separation in spirit from the world.
In short, there may be no impress upon the whole mind, and
heart, and conscience and life — of the character
of the Christian, as delineated upon the page of Scripture.

We all need to be taken out of 'the religious world', as it is
called, and collected again around the Bible to study what it is to
be a Christian! Let us endeavor to forget what the bulk of
professors are, and begin afresh to learn what they ought
to be.

It is to be feared that we are corrupting each other, leading
each other to be satisfied with a 'conventional piety'. Many have
been actually the worse for attending church. They were more
intensely concerned and earnest before they came into church
fellowship. Their piety seemed to come into an ice-house, instead of a hot-house! They grew better
outside the church — than in the church. At first they
were surprised and shocked to see . . .
the lukewarmness,
the irregularities,
the worldliness,
the inconsistencies,
of many older professors, and exclaimed, with grief and
disappointment, "Is this the church of Christ!" But after a
while, the fatal influence came over them, and their piety
sank to the temperature around them!

"Because you are lukewarm, and
neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth!"
Revelation 3:16

"The righteous will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in
the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of
our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will
stay fresh and green." Psalm 92:12-14

He alone is a cedar of Christ's training and polishing — who
is sound to the very core! For the cedar was famous for its
solidity of wood. It knew no decay. It afforded no asylum to
any stealthy insect — which turned its aromatic wood into dust and
ashes. So stands every faithful, fearless, unflinching,
incorruptible Christian! They bid defiance to the worm of sin
while they live, and to the worm of calumny when they are
dead.

But insidious worms gnaw out the very heart of the pretended
piety of the false professor. When the community is shocked by
the scandalous sin of some prominent man in the church — it
is only the crack of a beam which was
worm-eaten by secret sin long before!

"An oracle is within my
heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:There is no
fear of God before his eyes!" Psalm 36:1

Why is it that, today, the
masses are so utterly unconcerned about spiritual and eternal
things, and that they are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of
God?

Why
is it that defiance of God is becoming more open, more
blatant, more daring?

Why
is it that even among those who profess to be the Lord's
people, that there is so little real subjection to His Word, and
that its precepts are so lightly esteemed and so readily set
aside?

The answer is, because
"There is no fear of God before their eyes!" Romans 3:18

Ah! what needs to be
stressed today — is that God is a God to be feared! Happy is
the person who has been awed by a view of God's majesty, who has had
a vision of . . .
God's unutterable greatness,
His ineffable holiness,
His perfect righteousness,
His irresistible power,
His sovereign grace!

Time was, when it was the general custom to speak of a believer as
"a God-fearing man". That such an appellation has become
extinct, only serves to show where we have drifted. Nevertheless, it
still stands written, "Like as a father pities His children, so the
Lord pities those who fear Him!" Psalm 103:13

When we speak of godly fear, of course, we do not mean a servile
fear, such as prevails among the heathen in connection with
their gods. No! We mean that spirit which Jehovah is pledged to
bless, that spirit to which the prophet referred when he said, "To
this man will I look — even to him who is poor and of a contrite
spirit, and trembles at My Word." Isaiah 66:2

Nothing will foster this godly fear, like a recognition of
the sovereign majesty of God!

"I tell you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body
and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should
fear: Fear Him who, after the killing of the body, has power to
throw you into Hell. Yes, I tell you — this is the One to fear!"
Luke 12:4-5

"Our God is a consuming
fire!" Hebrews 12:29

"It is a terrifying thing to
fall into the hands of the living God!" Hebrews 10:31

"Catch the foxes for us — the
little foxes that are ruining the vineyards!"Song of Songs 2:15

Though there may be nothing in my outward conduct for which
the Lord is chastising me — yet it is likely there is something
within against which He is intimating His displeasure, and for
which He requires me to humble myself.
A spirit of selfishness,
the allowing of pride,
the workings of self-will,
the stirrings of rebellion when Divine Providence crosses
me,
the exercise of self-righteousness —
may be the plague-spots of my soul which need purging.

In the rush and pressure of every-day life,
the little foxesthat are ruining the
vineyards are apt to be neglected; and if we are careless,
then we must not be surprised if we are placed on our backs for a
season . . .
that there may be time for reflection and opportunity for closer
dealings between the soul and God,
that the hidden things of darkness may be brought out into the
light and faithfully dealt with.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me
and know my anxious thoughts. Point out
anything in me that offends You, and lead me
along the path of everlasting life!" Psalm 139:23-24

"I know that this man — whether in the body or apart from the body I
do not know, but God knows — was caught up to paradise. He heard
inexpressible things — things that man is not permitted to
tell!" 2 Corinthians 12:3-4

Such is the splendor, the brightness, the glory, the happiness, and
blessedness that are reserved for the saints in Heaven — that had I
all the tongues of men on earth, and all the excellencies of the
angels in Heaven — yet I would not be able to conceive nor to
express that vision of glory to you! That
glory is inconceivable and inexpressible!

It is best to be hastening there, that we may feel and
enjoy that which we shall never be able to declare! All
the troubles, afflictions, and sorrows of this life, in comparison
with eternal happiness and blessedness — are to be considered as
nothing. They are but as the point of a pin — compared to the starry
heavens! "I consider
that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the
glory that will be revealed in us!" Romans 8:18

"In Your presence is fullness of joy! In Your
right hand there are pleasures forever!" Psalm 16:11

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard,and no mind has imagined what God has preparedfor those who love Him!"1 Corinthians 2:9

"He will feed His flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in His arms,holding them close to His heart.He will gently lead the mother sheep with
their young." Isaiah 40:11

Our Lord has . . .
many weak children in His family,
many dull pupils in His school,
many fearful soldiers in His army,
many lame sheep in His flock.
Yet He bears with them all, and casts none away.

By Christ's gracious aid, the believer is preserved from being
totally submerged by his doubts and fears.

By His renewing operations, the spark of faith is maintained,
despite all the fierce winds of Satan which assail.

By His mighty enabling, the sorely harassed and groaning Christian
is kept from sinking in abject despair.

By His quickening power, hope is still kept alive, and the voice of
prayer is still faintly heard.

There is no danger of the individual saint being overlooked amidst
the multitude of supplicants who daily and hourly present their
various petitions — for an infinite Mind is as capable of paying the
same attention to millions, as if only one individual were seeking
its attention!

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with
our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way,
just as we are . . . Let us then approach the throne of grace with
confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us
in our time of need." Hebrews 4:15-16

"He will feed His flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs
in His arms,
holding them close to His heart.He
will gently lead the mother sheep with their young." Isaiah
40:11

Who is He of whom such gracious words are spoken? He is THE
GOOD SHEPHERD. Why does He carry the lambs in His arms,holding them close to His heart?
Because He has a tender heart, and any weakness in them at
once melts His heart. The sighs, the ignorance, the feebleness of
the little ones of His flock, draw forth His compassion. It is His
office, as a faithful High Priest, to consider the weak. Besides, He
purchased them with blood — they are His property. He must
and will care for those who cost Him so dear. "I
am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the
sheep!" John 10:11

Then He is responsible
for each lamb, bound by covenant engagements not to lose one.
Moreover, they are all a part of His glory and reward.

But how may we understand the expression, "He will carry
them"?

Sometimes He carries them by not permitting them to endure much
trial. Providence deals tenderly with them.

Often they are carried by being filled with an unusual degree of
love, so that they bear up and stand fast. Though their knowledge
may not be deep, they have great sweetness in what they do know.

Frequently He carries them by giving them a very simple faith,
which takes the promises just as they stand, and believingly runs
with every trouble straight to Jesus! The simplicity of their
faith gives them an unusual degree of confidence, which carries them
above the world.

"He will carry the lambs in His arms, holding them close to His
heart!"

Here is boundless affection: would He hold them close to His
heart, if He did not love them much?

Here is tender nearness: so near are they, that they could
not possibly be nearer.

Here is hallowed familiarity: there are precious
love-passages between Christ and His weak ones.

Here is perfect safety: in His bosom who can hurt them? They
must hurt the Shepherd first. "I give them eternal life, and they
will never perish — ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand!"
John 10:28

Here is perfect rest and sweetest comfort.

Surely we are not
sufficiently sensible of the infinite
tenderness of Jesus!

"If the world hates you,
keep in mind that it hated Me first.
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.
As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you
out of the world. That is why the world
hates you!" John 15:18-19

"Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you!" 1 John
3:13

The world will not hate mere professors.

The man . . .
who is conformed to this world,
who takes part in its politics,
who shares its pleasures,
who acts according to its principles —
even though he claims the name of Christ, will not be ostracized or
persecuted.

The woman . . .
who is conformed to this world,
who follows its fashions,
who enjoys its society,
who desires its amusements,
— will not be shunned by it.

The world loves its own. But those who walk in separation from
the world (and they are few in number), those who follow a
rejected Christ, will know something of what it means to enter into
the fellowship of His sufferings (Philippians 3:10).

"Therefore come out from them and be
separate, says the Lord. Touch no
unclean thing, and I will receive you.
I will be a Father to you,
and you will be My sons and daughters, says
the Lord Almighty." 2 Corinthians 6:17-18

~ ~ ~ ~

Do not be afraid, for I am with
you!

(James Smith,
"The Believer's Companion in Seasons of Affliction and Trouble"
1842)

"Do not be afraid, for I am with you!"
Isaiah 43:5

The presence of a friend in trouble is cheering and
consoling. But it is too often the case, that our friends, like the
friends of Job, prove to be miserable comforters. They do not
enter into our troubles — or they cannot help us. The advice they
give at times — only aggravates our woe, and adds to our distress.

But, believer, your God says, "Do not be afraid, for I am with
you!" What a thought is this! God, the great, the glorious, the
omnipotent Jehovah — is with me!
With me to help me,
with me to comfort me,
with me to sanctify me,
with me to save me,
with me as a kind benignant Father,
with me in every place, in every trouble, in every conflict,
with me through all my journey and for evermore,
with me on the bed of sickness,
with me to hold communion with me,
with me to listen to my sighs,
with me to number my tears, and
with me to secure me from all injury!

Appearances may be very dark; the night may seem very long;
and your pains, weakness, and fears may be many and great. Still, if
the Lord is with you, you may sing, "Even though the fig trees have
no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the
olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though
the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty — yet I
will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my
salvation!" Habakkuk 3:17-18

"Not everyone who says to me,
'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only he who
does the will of my Father who is in Heaven." Matthew
7:21

"Holding to the form of godliness but denying its power."
2 Timothy 3:5

Never have there been so many millions of
nominal Christians as there are today — and never has
there been such a small percentage of real believers. Never has
Christendom been so crowded with those who have a form of
godliness, but who are strangers to its transforming power. We
seriously doubt whether there has ever been a time in the history of
this Christian era when there were such multitudes of deceived souls
within the churches, who truly believe that all is well with their
souls, when in fact the wrath of God abides on them!

It is not that those empty professors who call themselves Christians
are all conscious hypocrites, rather are they deceived souls;
and the tragic thing is that in most churches there is nothing in
the preaching which is at all calculated to un-deceive them;
instead, there is only that which bolsters them up in their
delusion!

There is a large class in Christendom today who are satisfied with a
bare profession. They have heard some of the fundamentals of
the Christian faith, and have given an intellectual assent
thereto, and they mistake that for a saving knowledge of the
Truth. Their minds are instructed — but their hearts
are not reached, nor their lives transformed! They are still
worldly in their affections and ways. There is . . .
no real subjection to God,
no holiness of walk,
no fruit to Christ's glory.

"Enter through the narrow
gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to
destruction, and many enter through it.But
small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a
few find it." Matthew 7:13-14

The very expression the grace of God implies and denotes that
the sinner's condition is desperate to the last degree, and that God
may justly leave him to perish; yes, it is a wonder of wonders that
he is not already in Hell!

God is sovereign in the exercise of His grace. This of
necessity, for grace is favor shown to the undeserving, yes, to
the Hell-deserving.

Grace is the antithesis of justice.
Justice demands the impartial enforcement of law.
Justice requires that each shall receive his legitimate due, neither
more nor less.
Justice bestows no favors and is no respecter of persons.
Justice, as such, shows no pity and knows no mercy.
But after justice has been fully satisfied, sovereign grace flows
forth.

Grace has been defined as the unmerited favor of God.
If unmerited, then none can claim it as their inalienable
right.
If grace is unearned and undeserved, then none are entitled
to it.
If grace is a gift, then none can demand it.
Therefore, as salvation is by grace, the free gift of God — then He
bestows it on whom He pleases.
Because salvation is by grace, the very chief of sinners is not
beyond the reach of Divine mercy.
Because salvation is by grace, boasting is excluded, and God gets
all the glory.

Grace is a divine provision for those who are . . .
so depraved, that they cannot change their own nature;
so averse from God, that they will not turn to Him;
so blind, that they can neither see their malady nor the
remedy;
so dead spiritually, that God must grant spiritual life.

Grace is the sinner's last and only hope; if he is not saved by
grace, he will never be saved at all.
Grace levels all distinctions, and regards . . .
the most zealous religionist — on the same plane as the most
heinous criminal;
the chaste virgin — on the same plane as the foul prostitute.
Therefore God is perfectly free to save the chief of sinners, and
bestow His mercy on the vilest of the vile!

"Keep your lives free from
the love of money and be content with what
you have, because God has said:
Never will I leave you; never
will I forsake you!"Hebrews 13:5

God takes note of the
discontent of our hearts — as well as the murmuring of our
lips.

Not only is discontent
a grievous sin against God, but it unfits the Christian for the
discharge of holy duties, preventing the exercise of those graces
which are necessary in order thereunto.
It silences the lips of supplication, for how can a murmurer
pray?
It destroys the spirit of submission, for complaining is a
fretting against the Lord.
It quenches faith, hope and love.
Discontent is the very essence of ingratitude, and therefore it
stifles the voice of thanksgiving.
There cannot be any rest of soul, until we quietly resign our
persons and portions to God's good pleasure. Discontent corrodes the strings of the heart, and therefore
it arrests all growth in grace.

Discontent is usually over
temporal matters, and this is a sad intimation that material
things are sought after more eagerly than are spiritual things. It
argues a lack of confidence in the care of our heavenly Father to
provide for us the things which are needed.

"How long shall this wicked
congregation grumble against Me? I have heard the
grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble
against Me!" Numbers 14:27

"Do all things without
grumbling and complaining!" Philippians 2:14

"Keep your lives free from
the love of money and be content with what you have, because
God has said: Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."Hebrews 13:5

It is my deepening conviction that perhaps the Lord's own people sin
more in their efforts to pray, than in connection with any other
thing they engage in.

What hypocrisy there is — where there should be reality!
What presumptuous demandings — where there should be
submissiveness!
What formality — where there should be brokenness of heart!
How little we really feel the sins we confess!
What little sense of deep need for the mercies we seek!

And even where God grants a measure of deliverance from these awful
sins . . .
how much coldness of heart,
how much unbelief,
how much self-will and self-pleasing
— have we to bewail!

We need to be delivered from a cold, mechanical and formal type
of praying which is merely a lip-service, in which there is . .
.
no actual approach unto the Lord,
no delighting of ourselves in Him,
no pouring out of the heart before Him.

I often say my prayers,
But do I ever pray?
And do the wishes of my heart
Go with the words I say?

I may as well kneel down
And worship gods of stone,
As offer to the living God
A prayer of words alone!

O my God, I desire to approach the footstool of Your throne of
grace. Glory be to Your holy name that I can enjoy freedom of access
into Your presence, and with the confidence of Your child, unburden
and unbosom to You . . .
all my needs and sins,
all my sorrows and infirmities,
all my perplexities and cares.

Lord, how unworthy I am of the least of all Your mercies!
What righteous cause have You to cut me down as a cumberer of the
ground. How cold my love, how infrequent my prayers! How full is my
heart, of pride and vain-glory, self and sin! How little have I
habitually realized Your nearness, and sought Your favor as my chief
good! There is enough of coldness and formality in my best
approaches to Your footstool — to lead You in Your wrath to spurn me
forever away!

Let me see all my sin — in the light of Calvary's cross!

I cast myself as a worthless unworthy sinner, at the feet of Jesus.
I need daily, hourly washing at that fountain which He has opened
for sin and for uncleanness. Wash me,
gracious Lord — fully, freely, and forever. Let me know
the blessedness of "no condemnation." I come with all the great
burden of my great guilt — to my great Savior! I
seek to bring the unrighteousness of an unworthy creature — to the
infinite righteousness and everlasting faithfulness of my loving
Redeemer.

You have borne with all my obstinacy, all my perverseness, and
waywardness, and ingratitude. I am at this hour, the monument of
a divine love — as wondrous, as it is undeserved.Where would I have been, Blessed Jesus — but for You! All that I
am, and all I have — I owe to Your free, sovereign,
unmerited grace!

Whom have I in Heaven but You — and there is none in all the earth I
desire besides You. You alone can fill up the aching voids of my
heart. In vain can I look to a transient world, or to the
perishable creature — for solid peace and permanent enjoyment.
You are the onlyrefuge for my sin-stricken, woe-worn
spirit.

I rejoice in the inexhaustible riches treasured up in You — that
Your fullness is adequate to supply all my necessities; and out
of that fullness I may still continue receiving, and that forever
and ever!

"If the world hates you,
keep in mind that it hated Me first.
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.
As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you
out of the world. That is why the world hates you!"
John 15:18-19

"Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you!" 1 John
3:13

The professing Church has boasted that it would convert the world.
To accomplish this aim, it has sought to "popularize" religion.
Innumerable devices have been employed to attract the ungodly —
many of which even a sense of propriety should have suppressed!

The result has been that the
world has converted the professing Church!

But notwithstanding this, it still remains true that
the world hates the true followers of the Lamb. And nowhere is
this more plainly evident, than in those who belong to what we may
term the religious world!

If you resolve that by Divine grace you will live godly in Christ
Jesus — then know you that persecution must be your portion. And
that persecution will come upon you not from atheists and infidels —
but from those bearing the name of Christians. It will issue from
those who still keep up a form (or semblance) of godliness, but who
are strangers to its living power. It will come to you from empty
professors whose compromising ways are condemned by your refusal to
conform thereto; whose worldliness and carnality is rebuked by your
spirituality.

Remember, it was the religious leaders who hounded the Savior to His
death!

~ ~ ~ ~

God's attributes

(Stephen Charnock, "The Attributes of God")

Power is God's hand or arm.

Omniscience is God's eye.

Mercy is God's heart.

Eternity is God's duration.

Holiness is God's beauty.
Without holiness. . .
His patience would be an indulgence to sin,
His mercy would be a sentimental fondness,
His wrath would be a madness,
His power would be a tyranny,
His wisdom would be an unworthy subtlety.
Holiness gives balance to all of God's attributes.

I am glad that He sees my ways, before He heals me. It is a
great satisfaction to feel that there is One Who comprehends
perfectly the worst of my nature and my conduct. I am
concealed to a certain extent even from my nearest human friends.
The disclosure would be too terrible — it would force the most
forbearing and the most forgiving to flee from me in horror!

He reads me through and through. No black veil curtains any corner
of my being from His all-seeing eye. Yet He pardons me of all my
evil — and clasps me to Himself!

He meets the evil King Manasseh, who has made the streets of
Jerusalem run red with innocent blood — and He receives Him to His
household and His heart.

He draws the sinful woman to the Savior's feet in penitential
tears, and the Savior bids her go in peace.

He has room and welcome for me, although my transgressions, ten
thousand times ten thousand, are before His all-seeing eye! There is
no stain that tarnishes His justice when He so wonderfully forgives;
for He has laid my iniquities and all their doom on the Son of His
love! I go free with the consent of His holiness, as well as of His
grace.

His omniscience is penetrating and all-inclusive, missing none of my
shortcomings and none of my sins — yet His compassions are infinite!

Therefore I will flee to my one Refuge! Nowhere else am I safe from condemnation. Nowhere else am I
at home.

How different is the God of the Bible from the
god of modern Christendom! The conception of Deity which
prevails most widely today, even among those who profess to give
heed to the Scriptures, is a miserable caricature, a blasphemous
travesty of the Truth.

Ah, my
reader, the God of Scripture is no make-believe monarch, no mere
imaginary sovereign; but King of kings, and Lord of lords! To
countless thousands, even among those professing to be Christians,
the God of the Scriptures is quite unknown.
The god of this generationis
a helpless, effeminate being who commands the respect of no really
thoughtful man. He no more resembles the Supreme
Sovereign of Holy Writ, than does the dim flickering of a candle,
the glory of the midday sun!

The god who is now . . .
talked about in the average pulpit,
spoken of in the ordinary Sunday School,
mentioned in much of the religious literature of the day,
and preached in most of the so-called Bible Conferences —
is the figment of human imagination, an invention of mushy
sentimentality!

The heathen outside of the pale of Christendom form gods out
of wood and stone — while the millions of heathen inside
Christendom manufacture a god out of their own carnal mind!
In reality, they are but atheists, for there is no other possible
alternative between an absolutely supreme God — and no God at all. A
god whose will is resisted, whose designs are frustrated,
whose purpose is checkmated, possesses no title to Deity — and so
far from being a fit object of worship, merits nothing but contempt!
"I know that You can do anything, and no plan of Yours can be
thwarted." Job 42:2

"The Lord does whatever He
pleases in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the depths."
Psalm 135:6

"Yes, He is altogether
lovely! This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend!" Song of Songs
5:16

Jesus is . . .
an ocean of delights,
a sea of pleasure,
a fountain of bliss!

There is enough in Jesus,
and in the happiness which we shall eternally enjoy:
to comfort the most dejected saint,
to soothe the sorrows of the most tried soul,
to strengthen the weakest, and
to stimulate the most feeble to press onward in the path of
tribulation!

O for . . .
more spirituality of soul,
more conformity to His lovely likeness,
more unreserved dedication to His holy service!

I often try thus to praise
His dear name — but am hindered . . .
by this heavy clog of clay,
by my evil heart of unbelief, and
by Satan presenting something to the mind to alarm, or draw me
aside.

But shortly — understanding,
mind, will, and affections — will all be sweetly engaged and
employed in ascribing, "Blessing and honor, thanksgiving and
power — to Him who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb forever!"

My
heart leaps within me at the thought of thus giving
perfect and perpetual praise to my beloved Lord!

When we hear of men living in sin and yet claiming to be Christians,
we are disgusted with their pretenses — but we are not
deceived by their professions.

In the same manner, we care little for those who are orthodox
Christians in creed — if it is clear that they are heterodox
in life. He who believes the truth, should himself be true. How
can we expect others to receive our religion — if it leaves us foul,
false, malicious, and selfish?

We sicken at the sight of a dirty dish, and refuse even good
food when it is placed thereon. So pure and holy is the doctrine of
the cross, that . . .
he who hears it aright will have his ear cleansed,
he who believes it will have his mind and heart purged,
he who preaches it should have his tongue purified.

Woe unto that man who brings reproach upon the gospel by an unholy
walk and life!

Lord, evermore make us vessels fit for your own use, and then fill
us with the pure juice of the grapes of sound doctrine and wholesome
instruction. Do not allow us to be such foul cups as to be
only fit for the wine of Sodom!

~ ~ ~ ~

Secret
kisses!
(Thomas
Brooks, "The Privy Key of Heaven"
1665)When a Christian is in a
wilderness, which is a very solitary place — then God
delights to speak affectionately to him. "Behold, I will allure her
and bring her into the wilderness, and I will speak tenderly and to
her heart."Hosea 2:14

"When I have her alone," says God, "in a solitary wilderness — I
will speak such things to her heart, as shall exceedingly cheer her,
and comfort her, and even make her heart leap and dance within her!"
Certainly the soul usually enjoys most communion with God — in
secret. "But when you pray, go
into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who
is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will
reward you." Matthew 6:6

A husband imparts his mind most freely and fully to his wife when
she is alone; and so does Christ to the believing soul. Oh . . .
the secret kisses,
the secret embraces,
the secret visits,
the secret whispers,
the secret cheerings,
the secret discoveries,
which God gives to His people when in secret
prayer.

"But as for me, it is good to be near God." Psalm 73:28

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so
that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of
need." Hebrews 4:16

"In his heart a man plans his course — but the
LORD determines his
steps."Proverbs 16:9

"Many are the plans in a man's heart —
but it is the
LORD's purpose that
prevails." Proverbs 19:21

"A man's steps are directed by the
LORD.
How then can anyone understand his own way?"
Proverbs 20:24

Do not judge divine providence in little pieces — it is a
grand mosaic, and must be seen as a whole.

The Lord's wisdom is seen in arranging the smallest events so
as to produce great results. We frequently hear people say of
a pleasant or a great event, "What a providence! This
is the finger of God!" — while they are silent as to anything which
appears less important, or has an unpleasant savor.

But the place of the flower upon the hillside — is as fixed
as the station of a king! And the dust which is raised by a
cart-wheel — is as surely steered by divine providence as the planet
in its orbit!

There is as much providence in the creeping of an insect upon
a rose leaf — as in the marching of an army to ravage a
continent!

Everything, the most minute, as well as the most
magnificent — is ordered by the Lord who has prepared His throne
in the heavens, whose kingdom rules over all.

Whatever the event may be,the attentive eye will as clearly
see the Lord's providential hand.

I am sure that God is in the world, yes, and is at my own fireside,
and in my chamber — and manages my affairs, and orders all things
for me, and for each one of His redeemed children. We need no
miracles to convince us of His working,
the wonders of His providence are as great marvels as
miracles themselves.

"We know that God causes all things to work together for good to
those who love God, to those who are called according to His
purpose!" Romans 8:28

It is clear that the divine will is accomplished — and yet men are
perfectly free agents. We see no "divine interference" with them, no
force or coercion; hence the entire sin and responsibility rest with
each guilty one. And yet, acting with perfect freedom, none of them
acts otherwise than divine providence had predetermined.

Certain of my brethren deny free agency — and so get out of
the difficulty.
Others assert that there is no predestination — and so cut
the knot.

As I do not wish to get out of the difficulty, and have no wish to
shut my eyes to any part of the truth, I
believe both free agency and predestination to be
facts!

How they can be made to agree, I do not know, or care to know. I am
satisfied to know anything which God chooses to reveal to me — and
equally content not to know what He does not reveal.

There it is — man is a free agent in what he does. He is responsible
for his actions, and truly guilty when he does wrong — and he will
be justly punished too; and if he is eternally lost the blame will
rest with himself alone.

But yet there is One who rules over all, who, without complicity in
their sin, makes even the actions of wicked men to subserve His holy
and righteous purposes. Believe these two truths and you will
see them in practical agreement in daily life, though you will not
be able to devise a theory for harmonizing them on paper.

"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always
obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence —
continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling —
for it is God who works in you to will and to act according
to His good purpose!" Philippians 2:12-13